Mutant C. elegans mitofusin leads to selective removal of mtDNA heteroplasmic deletions across generations to maintain fitness.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is present at high copy numbers in animal cells, and though characterized by a single haplotype in each individual due to maternal germline inheritance, deleterious mutations and intact mtDNA molecules frequently co-exist (heteroplasmy). A number of factors, such as replicative segregation, mitochondrial bottlenecks, and selection, may modulate the exitance of heteroplasmic mutations. Since such mutations may have pathological consequences, they likely survive and are inherited due to functional complementation via the intracellular mitochondrial network. Here, we hypothesized that compromised mitochondrial fusion would hamper such complementation, thereby affecting heteroplasmy inheritance.

Results

We assessed heteroplasmy levels in thre

SUBMITTER: Meshnik L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8829988 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature